I'd like to communicate with someone who is taking Razadyne. I'd like to commpare side-effects and know if it helps, how long it is effective, and discuss the exhaustion that I feel at certain times of the day.

My mom has been taking 8mg of Razadyne ER (the once a day time-released version) for about 6 weeks. No side effects. I really can't decide if it has stablized her or not, it's too early. I know that she started with Aricept and was on it for 13 days before it just about killed her. She got SO sick!

Thanks for responding. I am taking 24 mg of Razadyne ER. I totally take care of myself and am starting to sew for other people. I also prepare and lead adult Bible studies. I don't know what to explain by the medication; that's why I posted in the first place. How old is your mother and how does she function? I really don't know much about the medications that are out there for memory loss.

My mom is 77 and can take care of herself as far as dressing, bathing, putting on makeup, cleaning, etc. My dad is with her so he usually keeps an eye on things like taking the right medications, keeeping appointments, etc. I know she could not manage that on her own. I don't think she could cook, but she never did that anyway. Other than sandwiches for lunch, they eat out for every meal...and always have. She used to be a fantastic seamstress, but I don't think she could handle that task now either. Hope this helps.

My Mother, who is 90, has been taking Razadyne since it first came on the market in, I believe 2002, when it was called Reminyl. A trade name confusion resulted in the change to Razadyne although the drug itself did not chance. We also had problems with Aracept so this drug was very welcome. Before she took it, she could not coodinate clothes and was extremely confused. Four weeks after the first dose at 4 mg, she improved remarkably with ADL's and cognitive ability. Over time, the dose was increased to 8 and then 12 mg. The 12 did not appear to have a beneficial effect so we stayed at 8 mg. I like the drug, there are no side effects and we have discovered that, when the drug was removed, by mistake during rehab at a SNF, she did decline.
We reinstated the drug and she was back to where she had been.

Pat

Thanks for letting me know that Razadyne might work for me. Your mother is older, but do you know of any possible long-term side effects if a younger person takes it and maybe doesn't need it yet? I am 58 and have been diagnosed with short term memory loss, but not sure of the cause. It could be long time use of prescription medications for mental health issues. Actually, the vast improvement since I have been taking Razadyne is a little scary.

My mother has managed to get every side effect known to man but this drug has not bothered her and it has been 6 years. I don't know about the long term side effects. www.intellihealth.com might give you a heads up on what to look for or perhaps reports from clinical trials.

Wish I had easier news for you. The drug is just not that old. Personally, I would take anything that would improve cognitive ability and ride out the research on newer drugs. You might be a candidate for some of the clinical trials or Enbrel. Don't stop looking. Read the posts and any info the Alzheimer's org or other sites might have. I know that Bob Lee in the Enbrel thread is upset that his wife did not take Enbrel earlier to stop the decline because the benefits level off after about three months.

Take care of yourself.

Pat

Thanks for the intellihealth website. I left a question about the Razadyne, but they may not ever answer it. It was an encouraging thought to take medication now to "ride out the research" for something better in the future. I hadn't ever thought of it that way.

Today a wise person told me that my racing fears are like trying to hold too many books. You can't read any of them. Shelve the books and you can attend to them one at a time. I'm trying to practice doing that with my many thoughts of home maintainance, money, sewing to do for a friend, a quilt to finish, family issues, and so on, and so on.

Have you been diagnosed by a qualified neurologist? It's always a good idea to rule out other problems before you walk down the pharmaceutical cocktail road. Do the physical first then the MRI's etc.

What other drugs have you been given? (if you want to share the info, of course.)

Pat

My mom is 71 and has been on Razadyne for 6 mos now. The neuro initially started her on Aricept and Namenda, which did not go over well. Prior to taking Razadyne, my mom was always tired, barely cooking and cleaning, and was just not herself. Since taking the Razadyne, she's back to doing it all again and she now has a lot more energy. She has let us know on several occassions that her medicine is working great and she is able to do things that she just could not make herself do before. My mom is someone who has always been very sensitive to meds and she has not experienced any side effects from the Razadyne. My family have been so happy with the positive changes in my mom.

A new treatment recently developed for Alzheimer's called "Memeron" combines Razadyne (galantamine) and Alpha GPC. Memeron is more effective than razadyne because it pumps additional acetylcholine into the brain by using Alpha GPC as a precursor. Razadyne (galantamine) just prevents acetylcholine from being broken down but does not supply additional acetylcholine which the Alzheimer's brain deparately needs more of. The Memeron website is at www.memeron.com

Thanks to those of you that answered some of my questions about the use of Razadyne. In answer to the question, yes, I have a psychiatrist, a neurologist, and a counselor. My memory loss diagnosis is tentative, following a 4-hour testing time with a neurologist. I see all three experts next week: it has been three months. I am thinking and living so much better that I guess I hope it is not a result of the Razadyne, which is temporary, but something else that is suddenly going better. On the other hand, I'm glad that the meds are working. Not making much sense, am I?

One possible explanation for the memory loss issues is the mismanagement of sleep issues following the death of my husband. Basically, I didn't sleep for two years and couldn't get anyone to take me seriously until I was unaware of what I was doing. This lead to physical injuries and early retirement. But, if this was the cause or the symptom, remains to be seen.